Home Selah's Journal SELAH'S JOURNAL: WHY DID JESUS CURSE THE FIG TREE?

SELAH'S JOURNAL: WHY DID JESUS CURSE THE FIG TREE?

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I have often wondered why Jesus had to curse the fig tree knowing fully well that it was just a tree but yesterday night the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to some insights. Let me share with you.

On the day following, when they had come away from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree [covered] with leaves, He went to see if He could find any [fruit] on it [for in the fig tree the fruit appears at the same time as the leaves]. But when He came up to it, He found nothing but leaves, for the fig season had not yet come. And He said to it, No one ever again shall eat fruit from you. And His disciples were listening [to what He said].” – Mark 11:12-14

Scholars have it that when the fig leaves appear about the end of March, they are accompanied by a crop of small knobs, called taqsh by the Arabs, a sort of fore-runner of the real figs. These taqsh are eaten by peasants and others when hungry. They drop off before the real fig is formed. But if the leaves appear unaccompanied by taqsh, there will be no figs that year.

But is this reason (“reason” as in knowlegde) enough for the fig tree to be cursed?

One of my arguments for the fig tree was that it wasn’t human and wasn’t capable of any ‘harm’ so to speak but did you know that Jesus actually had a conversation with the tree?

Jesus was hungry and He approached the tree to see if He will find fruit on it. “approaching the tree to see if” was a non-verbal communication between Jesus and the tree. The bible say everything in heaven, on earth and under the earth will bow at the name of Jesus (Philipians 2:9), now the God who became man approached a tree (which is a thing on earth) to see if He can get fruit on it. It’s the same thing as Jesus asking the tree, “Hey, got any fruit for me?”

If Jesus had asked you that question and you don’t have fruit, wouldn’t you try all means to get one before admitting to Him that you couldn’t get it? I mean, He is God, asking His creation to give Him something and the tree just made an excuse.

You asked what the tree excuse was? I’ll tell you, reading the chapter down, you will discover it was said that the fig tree wasn’t in its season despite the fact that it had leaves on it. So the fig tree’s excuse to Jesus was genuine but it was the wrong answer. Jesus who asked the fig tree for fruit already knew it wasn’t its season, if the fig tree had tried to produce a fruit at that instance, it would have yielded but instead, it stood there nonchalantly with an excuse. Thus, Jesus cursed it!

The disciples on seeing the fig tree wither the next day marveled and tried to point Jesus to it but no, the master wasn’t surprised. One thing worthy to note was that when Jesus responded to them that if they have faith they can move mountain, Jesus wasn’t referring to the fact that the fig tree withered but the fact that it was supposed to produce fruit when he had approached it. The fig tree defiled that law and therefore it became cursed.

In the morning, when they were passing along, they noticed that the fig tree was withered [completely] away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to Him, Master, look! The fig tree which You doomed has withered away! And Jesus, replying, said to them, Have faith in God [constantly]. Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him. ” – Mark 11:20-23

That day, all other living things, especially the non-human learned a lesson never to put nature law over spiritual law, therefore whatever you say, to a tree, to a mountain, a situation, anything at all, if you have faith, it will yield because it doesn’t want to end up like the fig tree!

Speak the word, everything is possible!

Written by Alex Amos

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